Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 47 Shooting the Sun, Old Friend

[This rebellion was destined to be bloody from the moment the enraged Prime Minister led his army to Yangzhou...]

[Admittedly, from the perspective of a normal reformer, the means you used in this coup were undoubtedly simple and crude, even incomprehensible.]

Because normal reformers are usually constrained by two conditions: one is the power comparison between the imperial court and the local governments, and the other is the support from the emperor.

If the imperial court does not have an absolute advantage over the local governments, and the emperor's support is insufficient, then if the reformers act rashly and drastically, they will most likely provoke mutinies and rebellions that will destabilize the imperial court's rule. Furthermore, if the emperor sees the situation is not favorable, he will most likely cut ties directly...

For example, Chao Cuo's reforms to reduce the power of the feudal lords in the Western Han Dynasty provoked the Wu-Chu Seven Kingdoms Rebellion, which frightened Emperor Jing of Han so much that he immediately executed Chao Cuo. As a result, the political reforms to reduce the power of the feudal lords completely failed, and the only option left was to resort to military force.

Another example is Wang Anshi's reforms in the Northern Song Dynasty. Because Wang Anshi provoked unanimous opposition from the court to the local areas, Song Shenzong was frightened and cut him off on the spot. Although he didn't directly behead him, he dismissed him from his position as prime minister!

[For example, when Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen reduced the power of the feudal lords, the imperial court completely overwhelmed the local governments. And since the reformer was the emperor himself, Zhu Yunwen, who thought he had the upper hand, went all out!]

[Unexpectedly, his entire team was filled with idiots, while the enemy was a god-like force. Even with a dragon attack, they still couldn't win... And because the reformer was the emperor himself, Zhu Yunwen couldn't even cut through the enemy, leaving him with a tragic fate unknown...]

Therefore, the experience of past dynasties has taught future generations a lesson: reform is risky, and changes must be made with caution. Even if we truly have the advantage, we should not easily provoke conflict between us and the enemy, because the right and wrong of this is truly difficult to discern...

[But you, on the other hand, first staged a card-for-card coup in the capital, taking down all the court in one fell swoop... Then, you immediately issued a new policy declaration to all parts of the country, stating that you would bring all evil to justice. Imperial family members, corrupt officials, aristocratic families, wealthy merchants... all of them were your targets!]

[Your actions are certainly satisfying, but they also directly ignited the conflict between us and the enemy! As a result, chaos reigned in the two capitals and thirteen provinces. Those with vested interests were forced to fight for their own interests, and even sparked a military rebellion on the scale of Yangzhou!]

[If you fail to suppress the situation effectively, according to the ancient practice of failed reforms, you will definitely be doomed...]

【But, you never feel that you will lose! 】

Since you dare to use a full-on Kaka-style bitter drop tower, then you must have prepared for a full-on Kaka-style iron-blooded suppression: with the Divine Emperor's support and the Jinyiwei in hand, how can you lose this flying dragon attack?

[That's why you're so excited, wanting to force all the insects back so you can finish them off all at once!]

[Furthermore, only such a drastic action could completely resolve the Ming Dynasty's long-standing ills... This would be no less than a change of dynasty.]

[Or perhaps, you are actually changing the dynasty...]

Just as the Han Dynasty was divided into East and West, and the Song Dynasty was divided into North and South, they were called one dynasty, but in reality they were two generations... Once your "reform" succeeds, then the Ming Dynasty will also be divided into the "early Ming" and "latter Ming"...

[In short, with the belief that you will win and a vision for the future, you lead your army straight to Yangzhou. You want to use your "Great Ming" to replace their "Great Ming"!]

【The Great Ming is the sun! 】

[It just so happens that you only completed the "insect extermination" feat in the coup, now it's time to add the "sun shooting" feat to complete the "insect extermination and sun shooting" feat!]

【…】

[When you led your army on a thousand-mile expedition and arrived at the front lines in Yangzhou, Gao Yiming, who had failed to suppress the rebellion, apologized to you without a word!]

Appointed as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War in a time of crisis, he now looked completely devoid of the high-spirited spirit he had displayed when he first led the troops. His hair was disheveled, and he looked disheveled. Together with the thousand or so remaining soldiers under his command, he presented an image of an extremely dejected and defeated army...

[Yet you had no intention of punishing him, and simply inquired in detail about the course of the battle and the enemy's situation.]

Gao Yiming, who had been able to hold back his tears, suddenly choked up at the mention of this: "...Your Excellency, you don't know that the Yangzhou rebels are definitely not rioters! They are far stronger than the garrison troops, and are even as good as the Beijing garrison..."

"Their strength is not only due to their divine powers, but also because they enforce discipline and march and fight in a very methodical manner..."

[Hmm? Obeying orders?!]

Upon hearing this, you immediately frowned: The Ming Dynasty didn't have the universal military training of later generations, so how could ordinary people obey orders? And how could they fight a war according to rules?

If Gao Yiming hadn't lied about military intelligence, then the enemy had most likely received specialized military training. It could even be said that they were actually part of the military!

[No... The Ming Dynasty doesn't have such a disciplined army. They only have garrison soldiers who are like serfs. So, this means they are...]

"It's a private army!"

You're startled: Raising a private army? This is a real rebellion!

[So you quickly ask him for more details about the enemy army...]

What he said next was basically consistent with what you saw in the battle report: the enemy not only showed signs of military training, but was also equipped with a large number of Western-style muskets and new artillery.

[When engaging the Beijing Camp, they coordinated well. They first suddenly bombarded the Beijing Camp with artillery, then, after the Camp was dispersed, they formed into a stepped formation and fired their muskets in a line. The dense hail of bullets made the already panicked Beijing Camp even more embarrassed, causing heavy losses...] [Not to mention that some of the enemy army had strong divine reactions!]

[…I have led 6,000 men to fight many battles, but now only a thousand or so are left. It is truly difficult to continue…]

Gao Yiming choked up and said, "If the Prime Minister does not come, I will have no choice but to jump into the river and commit suicide. This will prove my loyalty and preserve the integrity of the court while also preventing me from being captured by the rebels..."

"Now that the Prime Minister has arrived, I only ask that you spare these thousand-plus soldiers and not hold them responsible for the defeat... All the mistakes are mine, and I only beg for a quick death!"

Hearing Shangguan speak up for them, the thousand or so remaining soldiers from the Beijing camp kowtowed repeatedly and begged the Prime Minister to spare Minister Gao...

Honestly, the way they were asking each other for favors was so predictable, you couldn't even tell if they were doing it on purpose.

[But considering that they did suffer heavy casualties, and the main reason for their defeat was the enemy's overwhelming strength, you didn't dwell on this issue...]

You chose not to punish them, but instead consoled them by saying, "This defeat is not your fault. How can I punish you?"

Hearing that they would not be punished, Gao Yiming and the thousand or so defeated soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief...

[Next, you will directly order them to rest where they are, and then you will personally lead the Jinyiwei to attack Yangzhou City!]

[You want to see how powerful these traitors are!]

【…】

Compared to the historical records that often describe armies of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, a mere three thousand men is naturally not that many.

[But your three thousand men are all Astartes. As the emperor's personal soldiers, they must undergo unimaginable training and selection from the very beginning: physical and martial arts training is naturally standard, and willpower to resist the contamination of divine power is of paramount importance!]

[Each of them is a supernatural monster in human skin, and each of them truly possesses the terrifying power to fight a hundred enemies at once.]

[Blessed by divine power, each of them can leap several feet high and easily kill bears and tigers with their bare hands. Their abilities surpass those of ordinary people by more than ten times. Furthermore, clad in heavy armor and wielding heavy swords, each one is a human tank... If three thousand of them were to move together in an organized manner, conquering cities and plundering land would be a piece of cake!]

[Although they can't fly or dodge like the God Emperor, if these human-skinned monsters were placed in the current historical plane, they would definitely kill people indiscriminately!]

[Now that you've brought them here, this group of Yangzhou rebels of unknown origin must bear your wrath!]

[Today, you will lead your troops to attack the rebel strongholds scattered across Yangzhou!]

[Faced with your sudden attack by a group of Astartes, most data points had no time to react and were subdued in just a few minutes... And those strongholds that did react, although they managed to organize a resistance in panic, were also quickly subdued due to the huge gap in strength.]

[Once you capture a useful high-ranking prisoner, you immediately can't help but start torturing him!]

[But without exception, these captives were unable to provide any useful information. They only knew that they were guards recruited by various landlords and wealthy merchants in Yangzhou...]

[Guardian?]

[You're so angry you're laughing: Which family's guards are trained to military standards? Besides, the Ming army generally still uses cold weapons and crude matchlock rifles, but your guards are almost all equipped with flintlock rifles, and their line-up execution tactics are quite impressive...]

[Foreigners, are you no longer afraid of the Divine Emperor?!]

You're furious and anxious: "It's all over! There are insects inside, jackals outside... If you can't handle it, the scene of the God-Emperor's massacre will be repeated!"

[Everyone, you're all missing each other, right?!]

Thinking of the horrific outcome, you can't help but roar with anger, "Who is your leader?"

[You've decided. Once you catch this terrorist who's desperate for unrest in the world, you'll chop, slice, and mince his filthy body!]

【"who is he!"】

[Faced with your red-eyed, almost threatening, question, the unfortunate rebel leader turned pale with fear, and it took him a long time before he tremblingly uttered a name.]

[A name that is both familiar and strange to you, to the point of being extremely astonished...]

"Our leader... No! That bandit leader! That bandit leader is... is... is Liu Yizhao! Yes! Liu Yizhao!"

……

(End of this chapter)